Button



June 18, 1929. F PU INT N 1,717,406

BUTTON Filed Oct. 1927 Fig.2. Fig.8.

- .lnvenTor. Forresr G. Purin'Ton bywwkw AITys,

Patented June 18, 1929 UNITED STATES FORREST o. rUnIN'roN, or WATERBURY,

BUTTON COMPANY, or WATERBURY, oonnno'rronr, A CORPORATION or oonnnon IGUT.

1,717,406 F ICE.

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PATENT PATENT OF BUTTON.

Application filed October 1, 1927. Serial No. 223,330.

This invention relates to improvements in buttons. One of the objects of the invention is to provide a button comprising a head and a fastener in the form of a staple having prongs extending through said head and clinched to present separated, parallel anchoring ends engaging said head adapted more firmly to secure the button to the fabric or base upon which it is mounted than usual sewed-on or stapled buttons.

A further object of the invention is to provide a button having a head of flexible, elastic material with metallic fastening means having prongs extending through the material of the button head and clinched to present'separated curved end portions lying 1n substantial parallelism, with the points of said prongs embedded in the head of the button.

A further object of the invention is to provide a button having an initially imperforate head of flexible material with fastening means in the form of a staple having prongs penetrating through the central portion of said head with the ends thereof clmched to lie in parallelism in angular relation to the plane of the axes of said prongs and also to lie side by side at a sufficient distance from each other to avoid substantial weakening of the central portion of the button.

A further object of the invention is to provide a button having a head of flexible plastic material, such as rubber, with a re-enforcing sheet, preferably of fabric, embedded in the'button and havin a fastening means of the character above escribed. In this construction the re-enforcing sheet presents. no substantial added resistance to the assembling of the button and its fastening device, but effectively prevents tearing away of the central portion of the button by the prongs of said fastening device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a button of the character specified having all the advantages of a flexible sewed-on button, but which can be attached to the garment by the garment manufacturer more rapidly and economically than the standard four-hole sewed-on button.

A further object of the invention is to provide a button of this character presenting a surface having a distinctive color and in which a fastening device is secured in the manner above defined,- with the anchoring end portions thereof presenting a distinctive color from that of the button head so that the button when assembled simulates a sewed-on button.

Other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following descrlption and the accompanying drawing and will be particularly pointed out in the flexible plastic material, such as rubber, having no re-enforcing sheet;

F 1g. 4 is a View illustrating in superim posed separated relation and in vertical section the fastening device, the base or fabric, andthe button in position to be assembled Flg. 5 1s a view, mainly in vertical section, showmg the manner in which the fastening devlce s secured to the button with the base or fabric therebetween;

E1g. 6 is a detail plan View of a fastening device 1n the form of a staple with the prongs thereof clinched to present curved end portlons lying in substantial parallelism and in angular relation to the axial plane of the axes of the prongs to illustrate more fully the manner in which the fastening device is secured to the head; and,

Fig. 7 is a preferred form of blank from which a re-enforced button head is formed.

The button preferably comprises a head 1, which may be of any suitable form, consistmg of flexible plastic material, such as rubber or rubber composition. As illustrated, the button is provided with a central cupshaped portion 2 which is initially imperforate and desirably is re-enforced by a sheet of suitable material, such as fabric 3 which is embedded within the material of the head in substantial parallelism with the face thereof and at a distance therebeneath. The reenforced button head may be made in any desirable manner, preferably by applying rubber, or other suitable composition, to both sides of the sheet of fabric, such as canvas, and calendering the same to produce a sheet of rubber with the canvas embedded in the middle thereof. Disks can then be punched l DU out of this sheet and placed in suitable mould cavities and subjected to heat, or where rubher and like compositions are used, to vul canization. The heating of the composition in the mould causes the rubber, or other composition, to flow beyond and around the edges of the disk during the moulding operation, so that the edge of the re-enforcing member is entirely hidden from view. If desired, however, the re-enforcing disk may be formed of fabric sufficiently impregnated or coated to render it stiff and prevent the fraying of disks cut therefrom during the handling and these disks embedded in the plastic material during the moulding operation.

In Fig. 3 an imperforate button head of elastic material is illustrated in which no reenforcing sheet is embedded and it will be understood that the invention includes both types of buttons. The fastening device comprises a metallic staple, which may be formed from a wire by swaging to present a substantially flat base l, preferably of circular form, with tapering prongs 5 and 6 extending up wardly therefrom in substantial parallelism. The staple desirably is made of brass which is resistant to corrosion. Desirably also the base 4 of the staple is enclosed in a cap 7 the edges of which are bent or spun around the periphery of the disk 4. The cap likewise desirably is made of brass, or other metal,adapted to resist corrosion, and the cap and staple desirably are also plated with nickel or other suitable material adapted to present a good appearance, and also to resist corrosion.

In the assembling of the button upon a garment, or other base 8, the prongs 5 and 6 are caused to penetrate through the material of the fabric or base 8 and thence through the central portion of the button head. The prongs 5 and 6 are then clinched to present substantially parallel curved end portions lying side by side and spaced apart with the points thereof embedded in the material of the head of the button. In thus clinching the prongs of the staple the end portions thereof are caused to. lie in parallel planes disposed in angular relation to the plane XX of the axes of the prongs (see Fig. 6). By this method of securing the fastening device to the button head each prong engages a substantially large portion of the head of the button and by thus arranging the clinched end portions of the prongs in spaced parallel relation the strength of the central portion of the button is reduced but very little. It will be observed that each of the prongs penetrates through the head of the button in only one place while the point of the prong is only sufficiently embedded in the head of the button to prevent it from engaging the fabric which may be brought in contact with the head of the button. Thus the strength of the button head is but slightly impaired.

By thus clinching the button so that the lie side by side in parallel spaced relation,

the invention includes any other form of clinching whichmay be practicable. In certain instances the fasteners may be sufficiently strong if the points are clinched together either side by side and against each other if they are long, or toward each other'if they are short. IVhile such clinching would produce a weaker fastening by the concentration of pressure upon a more limited area of the head than in the case heretofore described, the material of the button head may be sufficiently strong to meet the conditions to which the buttonis subjected, particularly if the button head is re-enforced with the fabric as above described.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a button having a head of flexible material, such as rubber or rubber composition, which can be made in various distinctive colors. Such colored button heads may be made by impregnating the material from which the button head is made with a suitable pigment before the button head is moulded. The invention, however, contemplates also coating the button with a suitable pigment, such as Duco paint in which case the somewhat absorptive properties of the composition will permit a surface penetration of the pigment which will avoid the likelihood of cracking of the surface coating by flexure of the buttonhead. Furthermore, certain of the solvents employed in pigments of this character facilitate the impregnation of the surface portion of the plastic material of which the button head is formed. I

In Fig. 1 the button is illustrated as being provided with a yellow coating 9. The shanks 5 and 60f the fastening device, which are exposed through the coating in the central portion of the button, cause the attached button to resemble very closely a button sewed on with white thread.

Of the advantages which accrue from the present invention it may be mentioned that the metal fastening device'is much stronger than thread and that a button head of rubher or plastic material can be made without any butt-onholes, thus providing a much more substantial web in the center which will prevent failure of the button itself. 7 The re-enforcing sheet further strengthens the central portion of the button so that it is practically incapable of being torn from the fastening device. By clinching the prongs of the fastening device in the manner above described a maximum amount of the material of the button head is engaged by the fastening device with a minimum diminution of the strength of the central portion of the button. By thus providing a button head, which is initially imperforate, the head can be more readily coated with a suitable color and the same uncoated button heads may be used as a base for various different colors, thus enabling a manufacturer to coat and ship to customers promptly any shade which may be desired and enabling small orders of buttons of any particular color to be furnished without the necessity of mixing colored pigments into a considerable batch of the composition with the attendant delay of mouldi the colored 4 composition.

It will be understood that the particular embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing are of an illustrative character and are not restrictive and that various changes in form, construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A button comprising an initially imperforate head of elastic material and a metallic fastener in the form of a staple having a flat base with the prongs thereof penetrating throughthe central portion of said head and clinched to present upon the face of said head exposed, separated, curved anchoring ends lying in angular relation to the plane of the prongs with the points thereof embedded in the material of said head.

2. A button comprising a head of flexible material having re-enforcing material embodied therein and a metallic fastener in the form of a staple having a flat base with the prongs thereof penetrating through the central portion of said head and clinched to present upon the face of said head exposed, separated and parallel, curved anchoring ends lying side by side with the points thereof embedded in the material of said head and simulating a sewed-on button.

3. A rubber button comprising an initially imperforate head of substantially uniform thickness presenting a centrally cupped face and having a central re-enforcing sheet of fabric embedded in and lying beneath and in substantial parallelism with the face of said head and a metallic fastening device in the form of a staple presenting a surface of corrosion-resisting material having a fiat circular base and prongs penetrating through the curved central portion of said head from beneath and clinched to present upon the face of said head exposed, separated, substantially parallel curved anchoring ends lying side by side in substantial parallelism, and in angular relation to the plane of said prongs, with the points thereof embedded in the material of said head thereby simulating a sewed-on button.

4. A rubber button having an initially im- I perforate head and a metallic fastener in the form of a staple having a surface of material which will resist corrision with the prongs of said staple penetrating through the central portion of said head and clinched to present upon the face of said head exposed, separated, curved exposed anchoring ends spaced apart and lying side by side in substantial parallelism and in angular relation to the plane of the axes of said prongs.

5. A rubber button having an initially imperforate head and presenting a distinctive color and a metallic fastening device in the form of a staple presenting a surface of corrosion-resisting material and prongs penetrating through the curved central portion of said head from beneath and clinched to present upon the face of said head exposed, separated, curved anchoring ends lying side by side in substantial parallelism with the points thereof embedded in said head thereby simulating a sewed-on colored button secured by thread of a distinctly different color than that of said button head.

6. A rubber button having an initially imperforate head, reinforced by firous material embedded therein, a metallic fastener in the form of a staple having a flat circular base with prongs extending upwardly therefrom at a distance from the periphery of said base, penetrating through the central portion of said head and clinched to present on the face of said head exposed, separated, curved anchoring ends lying in substantial parallelism, and of a different color from the body of the button to simulate a sewed-on button, with the points thereof embedded in said head.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. I

FORREST G. PURINTON. 

